Mika Yamamoto

Writers can have the power to create space for communities that are marginalized in society, but this work is never easy. In this class, we will examine the works of writers who have attempted this and analyze the success and cost of such attempts. Our readings will include works by: Esme Weijun Wang, Rupi Kahur, Ryka Aoki, Patsy Mink, and others. We will also utilize SAIC¿s amazing resources like the Service Bureau, the Art Institute, the writing center, the diversity department, and Title IX office. In this class, students will exercise their voices and embrace the writing process. They will think of writing beyond what happens on the page.Towards this end, each class begins with mindfulness and connection activities. Students will be required to write weekly reflections, multiple drafts of an essay, and do a class presentation. Students in FYS I should expect to write 15 to 20 pages of formal, revisable writing. Attendance is extremely important and heavily weighted.

Literature can either support or subvert dominant narratives, and in this class, we discuss how literature does the latter. We begin the course by naming dominant narratives that are pervasive in the world and how these narratives impact the lived lives of people, including ourselves. This helps us understand why a writer might choose to write something that attempts to counter them, and think about their work in context. We examine how literary tools can, at times, be used to undo what it was intended to build. Some writers we might read are: Susan Steinberg, Priya Parker, Maddie Reardon, Vu Tran, Esme Waijun Wang, Isabel Garcia-Gonsalez, Cathy Park Hong, Chin Chin, Peter Ho Davies, and C.Pam Zhang. In this class, we prioritize community, compassion, and vulnerability. We are committed to showing up generously and bravely. FYS I is an intensive writing course that prepares students for FYS II and other Liberal Arts courses. In class, we will engage deeply with course materials in productive discussions that will foster critical thinking and inform student writing. In addition to weekly homework assignments and in-class writing, students can expect to compose and revise 15-20 pages of formal writing through a process approach to hone their argumentative skills and build their confidence in expressing their ideas clearly and effectively.